Hopper Bottom for Storage Bin with Integral Aeration

ABSTRACT

A hopper bottom for a grain bin includes a hopper wall having an inverted cone shape so as to taper downwardly and inwardly towards a central bottom opening and including ventilation openings therein. Perforated ducts extend into the grain bin from the ventilation openings. According to one embodiment upright support legs support the hopper wall above the foundation. Each upright support leg has a hollow interior chamber to direct air from an inlet manifold structure to the ventilation openings in the hopper wall. According to another embodiment, an outer support wall supports the hopper wall above a floor structure which collectively enclose a manifold space which directs air from a blower into the ventilation openings in the hopper wall.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/645,902, filed Oct. 5, 2012 and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C.119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/643,459, filed May 7,2012.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a hopper bottom for supporting astorage bin thereon, for example a grain storage bin having acylindrical side wall, and more particularly the present inventionrelates to a hopper bottom comprising an inner wall having an invertedcone shape which tapers downwardly and inwardly from a surroundingcylindrical outer wall support to a floor structure spanning below theouter wall support.

BACKGROUND

Particulate material storage bins are commonly used on farms for storingthe grain. In some instances it is desirable for the grain bin tocomprise a hopper bottom which is generally conical so as to taperdownwardly and inwardly to the center to assist in center unloading ofthe grain bin. Such hopper bottoms may be formed integrally with thegrain bin or may be formed as a separate component upon which acommercially available cylindrical bin is then supported.

Canadian patent application 2,008,299 by Weninger discloses an exampleof a grain bin hopper bottom in which the tapering cone portionterminates at a central bottom end spaced above the ground to receive anauger inlet therebelow. No means are provided for aeration through thehopper bottom.

Another known hopper bottom is disclosed in Canadian Patent Application2,698,403 by Thiessen comprises a conical hopper portion which issurrounded by a cylindrical outer wall which supports the cone and thecylindrical bin walls thereabove. Ventilation of the grain in thishopper bottom is made available by enclosing the spaced between thehopper portion and the cylindrical outer wall to form a manifold whichthen directs air through perforated sections in the conical wall of thehopper portion. The manifold structure requires the use of thecylindrical outer wall. No means are provided for directing ventilationair into other parts of the grain bin other than through the perforatedsections in the conical wall.

Further examples of grain drying through a hopper cone are disclosed inU.S. Pat. Nos. 5,604,994 by Annen et al. and 4,520,714 by Gullickson. Inthe prior art examples considerable ducting or multiple blowers arerequired to communicate ventilation air to the various perforatedsections in the hopper cone.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a hopperbottom for supporting a cylindrical side wall of a grain bin above afoundation, the hopper bottom comprising:

a hopper wall having an inverted cone shape so as to taper downwardlyand inwardly from a peripheral edge at a top end of the hopper wall to acentral opening at a bottom end of the hopper wall, the peripheral edgebeing arranged to support the cylindrical side wall of the grain binthereabove;

a plurality of upright support members supporting the hopper wall abovefoundation, each upright support member spanning between a bottom endarranged to be supported on the foundation and a top end adjacent theperipheral edge of the hopper wall, and each upright support membercomprising a hollow interior chamber;

a plurality of ventilation openings in the hopper wall in communicationwith the hollow interior chambers of respective ones of the uprightsupport members;

a manifold structure communicating between the hollow interior chambersof the upright support members; and

an inlet opening in the manifold structure arranged for communicationwith a blower so as to be arranged to direct ventilation air from theblower and into the grain bin through the manifold structure, theupright support members and the ventilation openings.

The use of hollow support members in communication with ventilationopenings in the hopper wall permits the support members to provide thedual function of: i) structural support for the hopper wall and grainbin thereon; and ii) a communication of ventilation air for aerationfrom a common manifold to a plurality of distributed locations about thebase of the grain bin.

Preferably the support members comprise upright legs supported atcircumferentially spaced locations about the peripheral edge of thehopper wall.

Preferably each upright leg comprises a tubular member defining therespective hollow interior chamber therein.

Preferably the manifold structure comprises a hollow tubular footingmember extending in a circumferential direction below the peripheraledge of the hopper wall such that each upright support membercommunicates between the footing member and the respective ventilationopening in the hopper wall.

In some instances a screen member spans each of the ventilation openingsin which the screen member is substantially flush with an upper surfaceof the inner wall.

Alternatively, the hopper bottom may include a plurality of perforatedducts in communication with respective ones of the ventilation openingsin which the perforated ducts extend inwardly into the grain bin, forexample upwardly along the side wall of the grain bin or downwardlyalong the hopper wall.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provideda hopper bottom for supporting a cylindrical side wall of a grain binthereon, the hopper bottom comprising:

a floor structure spanning radially outwardly from a central area to asurrounding perimeter area;

an outer support wall extending upwardly from the perimeter area of thefloor structure about the central area of the floor structure to a topend spaced upwardly from the floor structure and arranged to support thecylindrical side wall of the grain bin thereabove;

an inner hopper wall having an inverted cone shape so as to taperdownwardly and inwardly from a top end to a bottom end of the innerhopper wall, the top end of the inner hopper wall being joined with theouter support wall at a location spaced above the floor structure abouta full circumference of the outer support wall, and the bottom end ofthe inner hopper wall being supported in proximity to the floorstructure about the central area of the floor structure;

a plurality of ventilation openings formed in the inner hopper wall;

a plurality of perforated ducts arranged to extend into the grain bin,the perforated ducts being in communication with the ventilationopenings in the inner hopper wall respectively; and

an inlet opening in the outer support wall arranged for communicationwith a blower;

the outer support wall comprising a continuous cylindrical wall joinedto the floor structure about a full circumference of the floor structureso as to define an enclosed manifold space surrounding the inner hopperwall such that ventilation air forced into the enclosed manifold spacethrough the inlet opening is arranged to be directed upwardly throughthe ventilation openings in the inner wall and into the perforatedducts.

The plurality of perforated ducts may be arranged to: i) extend upwardlyfrom the respective ventilation openings alongside the cylindrical sidewall of the grain bin; ii) extend downwardly and inwardly from therespective ventilation openings along the hopper wall towards thecentral opening; or iii) any combination thereof.

The ventilation openings in the hopper wall may be used in combinationwith an upright perforated exhaust duct suspended centrally in the grainbin.

Various embodiments of a hopper bottom for a grain storage bin withintegral aeration will now be described in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is perspective view of a first embodiment of the grain bin hopperbottom;

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevational view of the grain bin hopper bottomaccording to FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevational view of a second embodiment of thegrain bin hopper bottom.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the accompanying figures, there is illustrated a grainstorage bin hopper bottom generally indicated by reference numeral 10.

The hopper bottom 10 is particularly suited for a bin 12 of the typecomprising a cylindrical side wall 14 extending vertically upward andenclosed at the top end by a top wall 16. The top wall 16 is typicallyconical in shape so as to taper upwardly and inwardly to a centralopening enclosed by a lid 18 at the top end.

According to a first embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the hopper bottom 10includes an annular footing member 20 which is arranged to be supportedon the ground or on a suitable foundation so as to lie in a generallyhorizontal plane with a diameter which corresponds approximately to thediameter of the grain bin to be supported thereon. The footing member isa hollow tubular member having an inlet opening 22 located in a sidewall thereof for connection to a suitable blower 24. The hollow interiorof the footing member defines a manifold structure which is arranged todistribute air from the blower 24 in a circumferential direction aboutthe footing member from the inlet opening 22.

The hopper bottom further includes a plurality of upright supportmembers 26 in the form of tubular legs mounted on the annular footingmember to extend vertically upward therefrom at a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced positions. Each support member 26 defines ahollow interior chamber therein which communicates vertically from theinterior manifold structure of the footing member therebelow to an opentop end 28 spaced above the footing member.

A hopper wall 30 is supported on the support members 26 which takes theshape of an inverted cone. The hopper wall thus extends at downward andinward incline from a peripheral edge 32 at a top end to a centralopening 34 at a bottom end. A suitable gate member 36 is mounted acrossthe central opening for selectively enclosing the opening. Theperipheral edge corresponds approximately in diameter to the diameter ofthe grain bin such that the cylindrical side wall of the grain bin isarranged to be supported directly on or above the top peripheral edge ofthe hopper wall which is in turn supported on the upper ends of theupright support members 26 at circumferentially spaced positionsthereabout. Height of the upright support members 26 is arranged suchthat the central opening 34 at the bottom end of the hopper wall issuspended at a location spaced above the footing member by sufficientspace to receive the inlet end of a transfer conveyor therebelow.

A plurality of ventilation openings 38 are located within the hopperwall 30 at circumferentially spaced positions in proximity to theperipheral edge 32 such that each ventilation opening is arranged foralignment with a respective one of the top ends 28 of the uprightsupport members 26. The ventilation openings may communicate with theinterior of the grain bin by various methods as disclosed in thefollowing.

In some instances, a screen member 40 is mounted across the ventilationopening 38 so as to be substantially flush with an inner surface of thehopper wall. The screen member comprises a flat panel of perforatedmaterial permitting air flow from the blower to pass upwardlytherethrough while having sufficiently small openings in the screen toprevent passage of grain or other particulate material stored in the binsuch that the particulate material can only be discharged through thecentral opening 34.

In further configurations, an upright duct 42 may be associated witheach ventilation opening 38 in which the duct comprises a U-shapedchannel of perforated material joined to the side wall of the grain binto form an enclosed passage which extends upwardly along the side wallfrom the respective ventilation opening 38. The duct in this instanceextends upwardly into the grain bin from the ventilation opening topermit ventilation air from the blower to be discharged through theperforations in the duct at various elevations along the height of theside wall of the grain bin. Again, the perforation size is arranged suchthat blower air can be conveyed radially inwardly from the upright ductinto the grain bin through the perforations but particulate material inthe grain bin is prevented from entering the duct.

In further arrangements, an inclined duct 44 comprises a channel ofperforated material joined to the hopper wall to define an enclosedpassage which extends at a downward and inward incline from therespective ventilation opening towards the central opening 34 at thebottom of the hopper wall. The perforations are again sized to allowonly blower air to pass therethrough. The ends of the duct are enclosedalso by perforated material to permit blower air to be discharged intothe grain bin at various positions along the duct while restrictingparticulate material from entering the duct.

Air is exhausted from the grain bin using an exhaust duct 46 in the formof an elongate tube of perforated material which is suspended at acentral location within the grain bin to span a majority of the heightof the bin. Typically, a cap 48 is provided at the top end of the ductto prevent particulate material from entering into the duct. Theperforations along the duct permit blower air communicated into thegrain bin to be discharged at various elevations into the duct beforebeing subsequently exhausted upwardly through the top end of the grainbin by a suitable ventilated lid for example. Suitable chains or tethersmay be used to suspend the exhaust duct from the top wall of the grainbin.

Turning now to FIG. 3, according to a further embodiment of the hopperbottom 10, there is provided a floor structure 50 arranged to besupported on the ground or a suitable foundation. The floor structurecomprises a continuous flat panel spanning radially outward from acentral area 52 towards a perimeter area 54 surrounding the centralarea.

An outer cylindrical wall 56 extends upwardly about the full perimeterof the floor structure in a vertical orientation to a top edge 58 havinga diameter corresponding approximately to the grain bin so as to bearranged to support the cylindrical side wall of the bin thereon.

The hopper bottom according to FIG. 3 further includes an inner hopperwall 60 extending at a downward and inward inclination from a peripheraledge 62 at the top end to a central opening 64 at the bottom end. Theperipheral top edge 62 is joined to the cylindrical wall 56 adjacent thetop end thereof such that the hopper wall is suspended from the top edgeof the cylindrical wall to extend downwardly and inwardly to the centralopening which is suspended above the central area of the floorstructure.

The hopper wall is joined to the floor structure about part of thecircumference of the central opening 64. The remaining portion of thehopper wall about the central opening is in sealed communication withtwo side walls 66 spanning radially between the central area and theperimeter of the floor and spanning a full height between the floor andthe hopper wall. The side walls 66 define a discharge chute area 68therebetween which extends radially from the central opening 64 to adischarge door 70 in the outer cylindrical wall 56 in alignment with thechute area. The two side walls 66 of the chute area are sealed withrespect to the floor structure, the hopper wall and the outercylindrical wall so as to define a manifold space enclosed between thehopper wall and the cylindrical wall about the remaining perimeter areanot occupied by the chute 68.

A plurality of ventilation openings 72 are again provided in the hopperwall for communication between the manifold space 71 and the interior ofthe grain bin thereabove. The ventilation openings are provided atcircumferentially spaced positions about the central area.

An inlet opening 74 is provided in the outer cylindrical wall 56 forcommunication with a blower 76. In this instance, air is directed fromthe blower into the defined manifold space for being subsequentlydirected upwardly through the respective ventilation openings and intothe interior of the grain bin.

The ventilation openings are arranged to communicate with the interiorof the grain bin by various means similar to those described with regardto the previous embodiment. Accordingly, in some instances a screenmember 40 spans the ventilation opening flush with the interior hopperwall. Alternatively, an upright duct 62 extending into the green binupwardly along the side wall of the grain bin may again be used incommunication with the ventilation opening to direct the ventilation airupwardly from the manifold space and into the grain bin at variouselevations from the vertically oriented duct.

An inclined duct 44 as described above may also communicate with theventilation opening. In yet further arrangements, the inclined duct maycommunicate with a larger ventilation opening spanning from theperipheral edge to the central opening with the inclined duct being inopen communication with a respective upright duct to maximize the volumeof air communicated from the manifold space upwardly into the ducts.

An exhaust duct 46 may also be employed similarly to the previousembodiment to maximize the exhausting of ventilation air from variouselevations of the interior of the grain bin.

The arrangement of FIG. 3 thus permits air from a single blower 76 to bedirected circumferentially through the manifold space below the hopperwall for being subsequently directed through ventilation openings in thehopper wall for communication with perforated ducts extending into thegrain bin.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein abovedescribed, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same madewithin the spirit and scope of the claims without department from suchspirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in theaccompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only andnot in a limiting sense.

1. A hopper bottom for supporting a cylindrical side wall of a grain binabove a foundation, the hopper bottom comprising: a hopper wall havingan inverted cone shape so as to taper downwardly and inwardly from aperipheral edge at a top end of the hopper wall to a central opening ata bottom end of the hopper wall, the peripheral edge being arranged tosupport the cylindrical side wall of the grain bin thereabove; aplurality of upright support members supporting the hopper wall abovefoundation, each upright support member spanning between a bottom endarranged to be supported on the foundation and a top end supporting thehopper wall thereon, and each upright support member comprising a hollowinterior chamber; a plurality of ventilation openings in the hopper wallin communication with the hollow interior chambers of respective ones ofthe upright support members; a manifold structure communicating betweenthe hollow interior chambers of the upright support members; and aninlet opening in the manifold structure arranged for communication witha blower so as to be arranged to direct ventilation air from the blowerand into the grain bin through the manifold structure, the uprightsupport members and the ventilation openings.
 2. The hopper bottomaccording to claim 1 wherein the support members comprise upright legssupported at circumferentially spaced locations about the peripheraledge of the hopper wall.
 3. The hopper bottom according to claim 2wherein each upright leg comprises a tubular member defining therespective hollow interior chamber therein.
 4. The hopper bottomaccording to claim 1 wherein the manifold structure comprises a hollowtubular footing member extending in a circumferential direction belowthe peripheral edge of the hopper wall such that each upright supportmember communicates between the footing member and the respectiveventilation opening in the hopper wall.
 5. The hopper bottom accordingto claim 1 wherein there is provided a screen member spanning each ofthe ventilation openings in which the screen member is substantiallyflush with an upper surface of the inner wall.
 6. The hopper bottomaccording to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of perforated ductsarranged to extend into the grain bin, the perforated ducts being incommunication with the ventilation openings in the inner hopper wallrespectively.
 7. The hopper bottom according to claim 6 wherein theplurality of perforated ducts are arranged to extend upwardly from therespective ventilation openings alongside the cylindrical side wall ofthe grain bin.
 8. The hopper bottom according to claim 6 wherein theplurality of perforated ducts are arranged to extend downwardly andinwardly from the respective ventilation openings along the hopper walltowards the central opening.
 9. The hopper bottom according to claim 6in combination with an upright perforated exhaust duct suspendedcentrally in the grain bin.
 10. A hopper bottom for supporting acylindrical side wall of a grain bin thereon, the hopper bottomcomprising: a floor structure spanning radially outwardly from a centralarea to a surrounding perimeter area; an outer support wall extendingupwardly from the perimeter area of the floor structure about thecentral area of the floor structure to a top end spaced upwardly fromthe floor structure and arranged to support the cylindrical side wall ofthe grain bin thereabove; an inner hopper wall having an inverted coneshape so as to taper downwardly and inwardly from a top end to a bottomend of the inner hopper wall, the top end of the inner hopper wall beingjoined with the outer support wall at a location spaced above the floorstructure about a full circumference of the outer support wall, and thebottom end of the inner hopper wall being supported in proximity to thefloor structure about the central area of the floor structure; aplurality of ventilation openings formed in the inner hopper wall; aplurality of perforated ducts arranged to extend into the grain bin, theperforated ducts being in communication with the ventilation openings inthe inner hopper wall respectively; and an inlet opening in the outersupport wall arranged for communication with a blower; the outer supportwall comprising a continuous cylindrical wall joined to the floorstructure about a full circumference of the floor structure so as todefine an enclosed manifold space surrounding the inner hopper wall suchthat ventilation air forced into the enclosed manifold space through theinlet opening is arranged to be directed upwardly through theventilation openings in the inner wall and into the perforated ducts.11. The hopper bottom according to claim 10 wherein the plurality ofperforated ducts are arranged to extend upwardly from the respectiveventilation openings alongside the cylindrical side wall of the grainbin.
 12. The hopper bottom according to claim 10 wherein the pluralityof perforated ducts are arranged to extend downwardly and inwardly fromthe respective ventilation openings along the hopper wall towards thecentral opening.
 13. The hopper bottom according to claim 10 incombination with an upright perforated exhaust duct suspended centrallyin the grain bin.